Fish-dressing machine



N. C. NICHOLSON FISH DRESSING MACHINE of. 2s, 1923. 1,471,567

Niel'i E Nichull'ann.

I wiyw@ Oct. 23, 1923.

A N. c. NICHOLSON FIsH DRESSING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1923 Niels E Ninhnlsnngaxyw atto: um#

N. C. NICHOLSON FISH DREssNG MACHINE oct. 23, ms. v* 1,471,567

Filed March e, 1925 5 sheets-sheet s "FEE:

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attenua;

Patented Oct. 23, 1923;

msn-DRESSING MACHINE.

Application filed Marche, 1923. Serial No. 62351044.l

To all 0h-omvat may caaccra: t Y Beit known thatI, Nrnns C. NrcHoLsoN,

. aV citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of the city of Seattle` in the county of King-rand State of TWashington, have invented certain new and useful I1nprovenients in Fish-Dressing Machines, Vof which` the following is aspecification. Y

VMy invention relates to fish dressing ory cleaning machines. I

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of such type of construction and provide with such means that the slitting of the fish and the subsequent cleaning thereof shall be done more perfectly than with machines commonly used for this purpose, and to provide a Vmachine of this character which will be simple and cheap in construction and easily takencare of and operated.l The present machine is a development from and improvement upon the machine shown in Patent No. 1,217,809, issued to me February 27, 1917.

The features of my invention whichI believe to be new will her hereinafter described and then particularly pointed'o-ut ask the claims. i i The accompanying drawings show ymy in vention in itsrpresent preferred form.`

Figure 1 shows a plan view of the machine. p Figure 2 is a side elevation of the ma# chine. Figure 3 is a section taken in a vertical longitudinal plane of the machine on ythe plane which contains the slitting saw, and `illustrating the mechanism which is adjaj cent to the slitting saw.

y Figure l shows in plan the arrangement of the mechanism for feeding the fish to the slitting saw and to the main carrier.

It has been found in practice that the chief defect of the machines which were formerlyin use in cleaning fish, has been in the thorough and reliable cleaning of the fish after'the fish has been slit. One reason for this is that the machines more generally employed for this purpose do not perfectly slit the-'fish along the central line of the belly and experience has shown that when a fish isnot slit exactly along the central line, the brushing and cleaning means which latf er are applied to the cleaning of the visceral cavity' V,will not work` to-.clean this cavityf'of all offal and objectionable matter.y F .ory inf stance, if theV cut is a little to one side of the central line, the edge `of the fish at ltheside which contains the surplus, or that part which should have been attached tothe opposite side, has a yslightly recurved edge which-prevents lthe brushing and scraping i sensei Nrnrise NICHOLSON, orvsnaTTrn wasnrNefTeN, passrGNoa To snnTTLn-ASTQRIA" IRON Wenns, Vor SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, AI coaronnTroN or `wAsnrNGToN.` j

mechanism from thoroughly 'acting thereon;

One Vof the objects desiredin the present Vmachine is to securefanaccurate central splitting of the fish inr all cases. Y

VIt' has been found that if the fish be passed through the machine head end first and with the belly or slit side down,the entrails and offal which are removed from the fish will be more conveniently disposed of than where the opposite position, namely with the belly side up, is employed kas was done in the patent above referred to. Furthermore if the fish be guided in position by a mechanism which positions it and presents it to the main carrier hy engagement with the surface at the top or backbone side of the visceral cavity, it will position the fish more accurately for actionthereon of the later` brushing and cleaning mechanisms than may be secured in any other way. The surface yof the cavity which is-to be cleaned in fixed position and at the-same'time secure accurate and correct relation thereof with theI `inner surface ofthe fish which yis to he cleaned. This method of pressing` and handling the'fish, therefore, permits ofa simple and'cheap constructionl of the other parts of theV machine. y p

In the drawings, 1 represents a frame upon whichV the operating parts of the machine are mounted. This may be of any suitable type of construction'. At the end at which the'fish yare received for passing through the machine, ris located a slitting saw 2.' v This saw is mountedy to'turn upon a horizontal shaftwhich extends transversely of the machine. This shaft 2O is driven in any suitable manner. The'means illustrated consist of a chain 21'which passes over the sprocket wheels carried bythe shaft 2O and a jack shaft 22. For proper presen-` cated as a plate or shallow trough 1l which Y or saddle this plow, or that which first engages the fish, is small. The central ridge of the plow inclines upward and backward or in the direction of movement of the fish through the machine. The flanks of this extend outwardly and Valso downwardly. This device is placed with its convex or ridge side up wardv and astride of thel saw. The `point 3f) is positioned so as to engage the fish a little in vadvance of the saw.y This is mounted upon `arms 3l or suitable supports which are connected with the frame. For convenience in adjusting the angular position of this device it may be provided with slots 32 in its sidesthrough which pass the securing bolts 33;, Any other suitable means for adjusting this, both in elevation and in angular position, may be adopted.

I1`ish to be treated by this machine are presented thereto after having beenV beheaded. In operating upon such; fish as sal mon, Iprefer to first pass them through a machine which is! in common use, by which they are be-headed and the fins and tails removed. In this condition the fish are pre-y sented to the slitter saw of this machine with the back npiward.; They are first engaged with the auxiliar-y or preliminary feeding means which as herein shown consists of two revolving drums` asv 4. These are mounted toturnupon vertical shafts 40 and .are provided with projecting` spikes 4l or any other suitable type of construction.

`bv which the fish may be engaged and posi;-

tively'fed forward.

To accommodate these drums'to properly act, upon fish of considerable differencein size, I prefer that they be mounted so as to have a symmetric movement towards and from the center, that is, a movement in which they each move alike and are maintained at the same distance from` the center line, where y the rsh are held symmetric with the central. plane in which the slitter Saw 2 turns. This ijsgessential if the fish are to. be slit. along theirv exact central plane.

InA Figure 4. is shown. a mechanismk byv which this result may be secured.` This shows a bell cranklever 4 2 which is piv-y oted at 43. One of these is provided for the support ofA each of. the feed' drumsk 4. To. the other arm of thisbell crank lever is connected a spring as.44,whioh acts. upon the two equally so astodrawthe. drums towards the-central' line and vet tenermitheir bef` lngseparated bv they passage Qta fish, if the. be Sefcieutily thick; to Lisannethis.l

of chains 45 extending kover sprocket wheels carried by each of these shafts.

The pivot shafts 43 are in turn driven by the chains 5 which form the main carriers for the fish. These chains 5 pass over sprocket wheels 50 carried by the upper ends of the shafts 43.

The chans 5 are essentially the same as the carrier chains illustrated in my patent previously' mentioned. Two of these are employed and .these have their adjacent runs moving in the same direction and spaced apart, a suitable distance to hold the fish being cleaned in proper position to be acted upon by the cleaning mechanism. This run of each of the chains is confined within a guideway as 5l.

The mechanisms which arel designed to act upon the fish after it has been slit may be varied in accordance with circumstances. These are, as herein illustrated, all of a rotative character and arey mounted upon transversely extending shafts 6. These shafts are journaled in fixed position upon the frame and are turned by bevel gears as 60 from the main drive shaft (il.k

Ther olea-ning means illustrated in the present machine consists of a disk or wheel 62 which is providedwith blades or paddles upon its outer or peripheral portion. These are designed to. give the visceral cavity of the fish a good scraping as it passesthereover. To better support thefish and particularly the flanks thereof, I provide a shoe` as 7 which seats astride the wheel 62. This is shaped to conform somewhat to the shape of' the slit fish. It is provided with an opening in its `central upper portion to permit the action of the wheel, upon: the fish.

Following next after this is a wheel' 63 which is of considerable extent in the direc-- tion of its ..aXis and is provided with radially positionedv blades 64y by which the flanks of the fish areV scraped. `,This paddle llU with any covering plate.A It is of a doubleconical shape and spreads the sides or flanks of the fish out and gives it a good scraping. Following after this are cleaning devices 65, 66 and 67. Thesev may be in theyv way of brushes or'scraping wheels oracombination of the two. @ne or the other of the above cleaning devicesv is preferably provided with a central cutting edge. or web ofl suffi; cient depth to cnt and open'up vthe blood sack which lies'along thennder side of the backbone of the sh, so as. to openl this up for thorough cleaningA by thebrushes which follow. This is. a type: olf l constrlltion whichis old in the art.

Presser plates as, 8 may engagey the backk surface of the fish; and to upon bythe brushing and serubbingwheels.,

be employed to chine. .The fish is relieved. `fromy theseV spikes by theV usepf-.diSengaging bars 53 which'. extend-to the rear a sufficient distance to include enough of the curve of the.

chain to insure therefrom.

The perfect action of the cleaning mechanisms upon the fish after. it has been slit depends to a considerable extent upon the proper and accurate placing of the fish with reference to these cleaning mechanisms. If the fish is held at too high a .level that portion of the cavity which lies nextto the backbone will not be properly cleaned, and if it be held at too low a level .the brushing and scraping action of these mechanisms may be too severe, with a result of mutilating the fish. By employing a device suchas the plow 3 todeliver and accurately guide the slit fish to the carrier 5, the exact level of the fish at the time it is engaged by this disengagement `of the "fishL Y carrier is determined by the position of the upper ridge ofthe plow.V This ridge engages the fish by the part thereof which is immediately belowthe backbone, that is by the surface which is to be cleaned. In confish slightly in advance of the action of the slitter thereon.. This engages the backbone side of this cavity and causes the fish to be raised.. The diverging lower edges of the plow adjacent to its point tend to slightly stretch the fish before itis slitand being accurately positioned relative to the plane of the slitter saw, will cause this saw to cut on the exact. central line ofthe fish. This fact also contributes to the perfection of the action ofthe subsequent cleaning mechanism. It is thus seen that the position of the plow or saddle relative both to the slitter saw and to the subsequent carrying mechanism', namely the chain 5, contributes in two ways to the perfection of action of the machine.

` The upper edge or ridge of the plow engaging the upper inner surface of the visceral cavity in the fish and also covering the slitter saw, protects the slitter saw from cutting any part of the fish except the lower abdominal wall, thus leaving intact the membrane within said cavity and the skin rearward of saidcavity, so that the flesh is not laid open for disruptive contact with the later acting cleaning parts.v `If the fish be alitle `soft at the time .of cleaning, this prevents mutilation and tearing of the flesh, which'would be' y very objectionable. Y

j What claim asmyv invention is:

l. In a rfish dressingmachine,V a `slitter .saw,-a plow positioned' 'over the yslitter'fsaw with its concave side down and having a point adapted'to enterthe visceral cavity of a beheaded fish in advance of the slitter,

and means for. feedingv the fish back upto carry it over'said plow and slitter.

..2."Ina fish dressing machine, a slitter` saw, aplow fitting as a saddle closely over the slitter sawwith its point adapted to enter theivisceral cavit of a beheadedfish inv advance of the action of the slitter,` saw," the central ridge of the plow inclining upwardly from` the point towards itsV rear.y

3. In afish dressing machine, a slitte;` saw, a plow fitting kas a saddle closely over the slitter saw .with its point Ladapted -to enter the visceral cavityof a' beheaded fish in advance'of the actionof theslittersaw,

and meansfor adjusting the angular positionr of the plow. Y i

4. In a fish dressing machine,.a fish feeding4 means, a slitter saw, a plow fitting as a saddle closely over the saw with its point adapted to enter the visceral `cavity of the fish in advance of its contact with the slitter,

the plow having its central ridge inclining upwardly from its point towards its rear, and means for of the plow.

. j 5. In a fishdressing machine, a fish 'feedadjusting the angular position ing means comprising two spaced-apart ro tative shafts and an endless belt operated by each, a frame pivoted concentric with f i each'of said shafts, a shaft journaled on the swinging ends of each frame, chains connecting the shafts of each frame,`a fish feeding drum upon each of the shafts carried by the swinging ends of said frames, and a slitter and covering plow positioned on the central plane between saiddrums.

6. In a fish dressing machine, a slitter l saw, andl a'plowlmounted as a saddle over the saw with its central point in advance of the slitter and ata level somewhat below the top edge ofthe saw, the side flanges of the plow diverging rearwardly and being maintained below the top edge of the saw.

7. In a fish dressing machine, a 'slitter saw, and a plow mounted as a saddle over the saw with its centralpoint in advance of the slitter and at a level somewhat vbelow the top edge of the saw, the side flanges of the plow diverging rearwardly and being maintainedv below the top edge of the saw, and means for adjusting the angular'position of the plow.

8. In a fish dressing machine, ya slitterk saw, and a plow mounted as a saddle over the saw with its central point in advance. of

the` slitter and at a levelsomewhat below the topedge of the saw,'the side fianges of Athe plow diverging rearwardly and being maintained below the top .edge of the saw,

. and feeding means .for presenting fish to the f feeding means for presenting nsh to the slitter located in advance of the -slitter and at each side of its plane, and means for yieldingly holding said fish feeding means towards eachother.

n l0. In a fish dressing machine, a slitter saw, and a plowv mounted asa saddle over the saw of' the slitter and at a. level somewhat below the top edge of thesaw, the side flanges of f the plow diverging rearwardly and being maintained below the top edge of the saw, feeding means for presentingY iish to the slitter located. in advance of' the, slitter and at each side of its plane, and a. common means acting'. to yieldi-nfgly-and uniformly vith its centralpoint in advancehold thesaidfish 'feeding means toward Athe planeet the slitter.

. 1l.- A fish cleaning machine comprising a pair. ot endless chains provided with' fish engaging and holding means, guides' mainktaining adjacent runs of said chains `1n parallel relationship to serve as ak carriery for' the fish, a series of `cleaning mechanisms located between and beneath said carrier, a slitting saw and a plow at the receivingend of said carrier, said plow fitting as a saddle over the slitting saw, and serving as a guide to present the fish to said carrier at proper level to be effectively acted upon by the following cleaning mechanisms.

12. In a fish cleaning machine, a fish carrier, a series of independent cleaning mechanisms located in fixed position relative to and along the'path of said carrier, a slitting saw and a plow fitting as a saddle over the saw and locatedv at the receiviing, end of saidY carrier, said plow engaging the backbone side of the visceral cavity of the fish to thereby present it to the carrier in position for effective action of the before-mentioned cleaning mechanisms.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Vashington, this day of 13th February, 1923.

Niets o. NICHOLSON'.- 

